2025 U.S. World Trials Preview: Youth Looks to Upend Weyant and Grimes atop the 400 IM

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Indianapolis, Indiana
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WOMEN’S 400 IM: BY THE NUMBERS

• World Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
• American Record: 4:31.12 – Katie Hoff (2008)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:26.98 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
• 2024 Olympic Trials Winner: Katie Grimes – 4:35.00
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 4:43.06

The Women’s 400 IM field in Paris saw two Americans on the podium. Katie Grimes, a two-time Olympian, claimed her first medal, a silver, and her compatriot Emma Weyant, who collected the bronze medal, backed up her silver from Tokyo. The pair, who also finished in the same position at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, top the entry lists and will look to represent Team USA again on the world stage.

The pair will be hard-pressed to improve upon their medals as they likely will have to square off against the reigning Olympic Champion, World Record Holder, and only active swimmer with a time under 4:28, Canada’s Summer McIntosh. However, before Grimes and Weyant get a chance to do so, they’ll need to overcome an increasingly young and competitive domestic field first.

“You’re Still The One (two)”

Katie Grimes (photo: Jack Spitser)

Grimes entered the swimming world in a dramatic fashion, nabbing an Olympic berth at just age 15, in 2021. While primarily seen as a distance freestyler, especially in her earlier years, Grimes has more LC World Championships medals in the IM than she does in the freestyles, as she claimed silver in both 2022 and 2023. The stat changes a little if one were to include her performances from SC Worlds as well.

After keeping the swimming world on tenterhooks about her college decisions, Grimes announced this past fall that she would swim for Virginia and join the squad mid-year. The delay allowed the Sandpipers of Nevada swimmer to gear up for the Short Course Worlds, held this past December in Budapest. In the same pool where she earned her first World medal, Grimes earned a complete set of medals, claiming bronze in the 800 free and a silver in the 400 IM, finishing less than five seconds behind McIntosh’s new World Record time of 4:15.48. Grime’s time of 4:20.14 is not only just over a second off the old World Record but now stands as a new American record.

The swim and performance might have gone a little unnoticed as two day prior, Grimes with club teammate Claire Weinstein, along with future teammate Alex Walsh and UVA alum Paige Madden, came together to slice over half a second off the World record in the women’s 4×200 free relay. The quartet recorded a new mark of 7:30.13, taking over four seconds off the two-year-old former American record.

With that as a backdrop, Grimes hasn’t had the strongest 2025. Acclimatizing to college can be tough, and while she did score in every event at NCAAs, finishing 4th in the 500 free, 4th in the 400 IM, and 13th in the 1650, her times were not close to her PBs. Since then, she has competed once in Fort Lauderdale, where she placed 5th in the finals of the 400 IM, going 4:42.48.

Grimes has a PB of 4:31.41 from Worlds in Fukuoka, a time that makes her the 4th fastest American of all time, and the fastest active swimmer. However, she struggled last year to replicate that time. She went 4:32.45 at the Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions in April but won Trials with a 4:35.00 and Olympic Silver with a 4:33.40.

Whereas Grimes entered last summer with confidence, having won silver in Fukuoka, Weyant entered the Olympic Trials with something to prove, as the previous summer she failed to make the Worlds team as she was DQed in the prelims of the 400 IM. She safely advanced through to the finals and qualified for her second Olympic team, going on to earn the bronze medal in Paris in a time of 4:34.93.

Weyant opted not to travel to Budapest for SC Worlds and returned to finish her last year of collegiate swimming at Florida. Like Grimes, Weyant didn’t have the strongest NCAA performance all-around, scoring in two events and not hitting a PB. However, she did place second in the 400 IM in a time of 3:59.05, which is only .05 off her previous best from the season before.

Unlike Grimes, however, Weyant had a very strong showing at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series. Weyant was the fastest in the 400 IM prelims, going 4:40.43. That evening she dropped a hammer of swim, recording a mark of 4:33.95. The swim, against the backdrop of those of her teammate, Katie Ledecky, as well as Gretchen Walsh‘s two world records does stand out that much, but for Weyant, the swim marked a huge turning point.

Weyant, after the race, stated that she now felt confident in her breaststroke after having been DQed in 2023. Weyant cited Florida Assistant and Olympic Medalist Annie Lazor for helping her mentally get over the lack of self-confidence in the stroke. The 6th fastest American ever, with a PB of 4:32.76 dating back to 2021, her winning time from Fort Lauderdale of 4:33.95 reflected her new confidence as not only was it her 4th fastest performance, but it also was her fastest since the Tokyo Olympics, faster than her 2022 Worlds and 2024 Olympic Bronze medal performances. The time also vaults her up the 2024-2025 rankings to the #2 spot, sitting behind only McIntosh’s 4:26.98 from the Westmont Pro Swim Series.

“Are You That Somebody”

If anyone were to break through the stranglehold that Grimes and Weyant appear to have at the top, one would look to those who have been at the top before. Alex Walsh, who swam the event at the Fukuoka Worlds, has a personal best of 4:34.46 but has since moved on from the long course version of the race as Worlds also represents her last swim. Leah Smith holds a PB of 4:33.86 and finished 4th at last summer’s Olympic Trials, but that appears to have been her last professional race. Lilla Bognar broke 4:40 for the first time to place just ahead of Smith at Trials, going 4:37.86 to place 3rd. However, Bognar, who would go on to win the event at Junior Pan-Pacs, does not appear in the entry lists.

Leah Hayes 2023 World Juniors courtesy Marcus Chen Photography

Leah Hayes, the fastest returner from the 2024 Trials, appears to be the best bet to have a chance to break through. Hayes placed 5th last year with a time of 4:41.32, but she holds a PB of 4:36.84 from her gold medal at the 2023 Junior Worlds. The UVA based swimmer, broke through into the senior ranks in 2022 and won a bronze medal in the 200 IM at the Budapest Worlds.

Hayes just wrapped up her first year at Virginia and, like Grimes, had an off NCAAs. While she did score in two events, neither were in personal bests. Her 400 IM time wasn’t even a season-best, but like Weyant, her time of 4:01.62 was less than half a second off her PB, which she set in the fall, so the result wasn’t that far off.

Like her teammate, Hayes has just one long-course meet this season, swimming at the last Pro Swim Series stop. Hayes placed third behind Weyant (the second-fastest American) with a time of 4:38.78. The swim, her fastest since the 2023 Junior Worlds, coupled with PBs in every breaststroke event and equalling her PB in the 200 free, maybe a sign that Hayes is returning to the form that saw her earn her spot and win a Worlds medal as a high schooler.

The 400 IM seems to have a very UVA, Florida, and Stanford tilt. Two of the three fastest Americans, Maya Dirado and Elizabeth Beisel, attended Stanford and Florida, respectively. Both Hayes and Grimes swim for UVA, as did Smith and Weyant, before she transferred to Florida.

While Grimes likely has Hayes to join her in preparing for the 400 IM, Weyant, too, will have plenty of training partners. Zoe Dixon (#7 seed), a fellow Gator, placed 7th last year at Trials, going a PB of 4:42.01. Despite the seemingly common thread of not performing well at NCAA, where she placed 20th in prelims, Dixon had a strong swim at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim, placing 10th overall with a time of 4:46.45. While not a PB, the time is more than two seconds faster than her pre-trials time from last year; she swam 4:48.51 in May of 2024, so Dixon could be in line for another drop and perhaps even challenging the 4:40 barrier.

Her teammate, Michaela Mattes (#9 seed), struggled too at NCAAs but had a strong turn-around in Fort Lauderdale as she placed one spot ahead of Dixon, winning the B-Final in a new Personal Best of 4:45.06, her first PB in the event since 2022 when she placed 5th at Junior Pan-Pacs with her time of 4:45.78. In fact, her swim last month was the first time she had been under 4:50 since March of 2023, so if she can continue this positive trend, she too could be in line for a big drop.

The pair, along with Weyant and #19 seed Sofia Plaza (who placed 11th last year at Trials), likely overlap some of their training with the 15th fastest American ever, Katie Ledecky. While obviously, known for her unmatchable freestyle prowess, Ledecky has dabbled in the event, as her PB of 4:35.77 was set at the 2022 US Nationals where she placed 1st. (Remember, in 2022, World Trials and US Nationals were separate events) Ledecky last swam the 400 IM in 2024, where she memorably beat Lilly King in an off-event race between the two World Record holders. However, Ledecky is not entered in the event here, but rather serves to complete our connections as before turning pro and training with Florida, Ledecky competed for the Stanford Cardinal.

Caroline Bricker (photo: Jack Spitser)

Continuing the strong tradition of 400 IM excellence for Stanford are Lucy Bell and Caroline Bricker. Bell, who is wrapping up her junior year, had a strong summer last year as she swam PB  in the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM at Trials. In the 400 IM particularly, she sliced nearly four seconds off her previous best, recording a time of 4:40.79, bettering her Pan-Ams silver medal performance of 4:44.27. While she added a few tenths in finals, placing 6th in a time of 4:41.40, Bell carried on that positive momentum into the college season.

Bucking the trend of down performances at NCAAs, Bell produced PBs in all of her events, placing 6th in the 200 IM, 3rd in the 400 IM (4:00.24), and claiming the national title in the 200 Breast. Joining her in having a strong NCAA was her teammate Bricker. A sophomore, Bricker started off her meet with a win in the 800 free relay and continued the success, also recording PBs in all her events, placing 5th in the 200 IM, 3rd in the 200 fly, and claiming the national title in the 400 IM, breaking four minutes for the second time that season, winning in 3:57.36.

While Bricker took the win in yards, Bell holds the advantage in long course meters as her PB of 4:40.79 makes her the 5th seed, whereas Bricker’s PB is 4:45.68. Bricker swam that time just last month in Fort Lauderdale, where she placed 7th overall, and it is her first PB in the event since 2021. Bricker is entered as the 8th seed with a time of 4:42.38, from the recent Sun Devil Open this past May, displaying another strong drop. While not a perfect tool, SwimSwam’s time converter puts her yards time from NCAA right around the 4:30 mark, so if she can emulate her NCAA win, Bricker could be the spoiler to the Grimes/Weyant party.

Katie McCarthy bucks the Virginia-Florida-Stanford triangle of connection that the other swimmers so nicely made. McCarthy, representing Minnesota, placed 28th at NCAA in the 400 IM, going 4:11.42. However, the Gopher is the 11th seed in Indianapolis courtesy of her seed time of 4:46.27. She placed 14th at Trials last summer, going 4:47.99, but sliced a second and a half off that to win the event at the Minneapolis Futures meet in July.

“Smells like Teen Spirit”

Audrey Derivaux (photo: Jack Spitser)

The only swimmer not yet mentioned returning from the Olympic Trials final is Audrey Derivaux. Last year, at the age of 14, the New Jersey native set PBs across the 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 back, and 400 IM, where she went 4:45.23 in prelims to qualify 8th into the final, the youngest to do since the 2012 trials. A two Junior Pan Pacs champ in the fly events, Derivaux has blown past that time, recording a new PB of 4:41.48 at March’s Indianapolis Sectionals. While just 15, Derivaux is a top eight seed in all five of her events, topping out as the #4 seed in both the 200 fly and 200 back.

Derivaux is not the lone junior in the top 16, and in fact, despite being an Olympic Trials finalist, she isn’t even the highest-ranked junior swimmer. Seed two spots ahead of her at #4 is Kayla Han. Recently just turned 17 years old, Han is entered in the meet with a seed time of 4:40.58. Like Derivaux, the time is a recent PB, as she recorded it just last month courtesy of her 4th-place finish in Fort Lauderdale. Before that, she held a PB of 4:42.32 dating back to 2023. The youngest swimmer at the 2021 Olympic Trials, Han placed 10th at last year’s Trials going 4:47.71, so seems to be back on track in the event. Like Derivaux, Han earned international experience at Junior Pan-Pacs, where she won the 800 free, and she represented the US in the event at the 2024 Worlds in Doha, where she finished 13th in the event in a time of 4:47.12.

One of the youngest events, in fact, the only event in which every swimmer was born this century (if you use the definition of centuries starting at year 1 and progressing through year 100), both Ellie Clarke and Alexa McDevitt will be looking to make the A-final and earn themselves a chance at the Worlds team or at the Junior Worlds team. The pair seeded 10th and 13th, respectively, have made strong improvements this season. Each was a little off at the Olympic Trials last year, with the pair finishing 33rd and 34th, respectively, with times of 4:54.40 and 4:57.10; they each recorded new PBs within the last two months, with Clarke, who swims at Carmel Swim Club going 4:45.45 at the Indianapolis Sectionals, and McDevitt a Cal commit, who represents Bellevue Club Swim Team taking 2nd place at the Sacramento Pro Swim Series with a time of 4:46.61.

While not eligible for Junior Worlds, fellow teenager and Cal commit Teagan O’Dell, too, could find herself amongst the top eight. Seeded 12th, the junior Pan-Pac champion in the 200 IM holds a PB and entry time of 4:46.34, from her second-place finish behind McCarthy at the 2024 Minneapolis Futures. She hasn’t swum the event since that meet, but she did go a PB of 4:05.22 in the yards version this past November and just recently cleaned house at the California High School State Championships, where she topped the podium individually in the 200 IM and 100 back as well as leading off the victorious 200 and 400 free relays.

“You Oughta Know”

While Grimes has the better PB and beat Weyant at both Trials and the Olympics last year, Weyant’s stronger showing at NCAAs and in Fort Lauderdale appears to give her the edge this time around. Weyant is entered in just three events over the course of the meet while Grimes is in six, not that that means they each will swim all of them, but Weyant’s focus is much more on this event, whereas Grimes will have to spread her attention to more events (Bell, too, is entered in six events). The 400 IM is smack dab in the middle of the event schedule, being the first event on the middle of five days of competition. The 100 fly and 50 of breaststroke and backstroke follow in that order, so Derivaux, Bricker, and Bell, the #7, 12, and 14 seeds in the 100 fly, may have to choose one or the other to swim.

After the top two things get a little more muddled, Hayes’s strong showing in Fort Lauderdale gives her the edge over the rest of the field, but if Bricker and Bell can transfer their strong NCAA performances to the long course pool, then they could challenge. So, too, could Han, after spending a year at Carmel Swim Club, she returned west to California and hasn’t missed a beat.

SwimSwam’s Picks

Dark Horse: Campbell Stoll – Seeded 21st, one spot behind teammate Campbell Chase, Stoll, a rising junior, placed 10th at NCAAs in a time of 4:04.55; she also placed 12th in the 200 IM and earned an A-final berth in the 200 fly, placing 7th overall. A month earlier, she popped off at SEC, going PBs in those same three events, placing 2nd in the 200s and nabbing the bronze in the 400 IM with a time of 4:03.11, behind only Olympians Weyant and Ella Jansen, who represents Canada internationally. At a meet in Austin last month, Stoll dropped a new PB of 4:48.66, her first since 2023. At that meet, she also recorded PBs in the 200 Fly and 200 IM and equaled her best in the 100 Fly, an event that directly followed the 400 IM.